Lamprospora verrucispora sp. nov. (Pezizales) Marcel VEGA Abstract: A description and illustrations of both macroscopic and microscopic characters of Lamprospora Jan ECKSTEIN verrucispora sp. nov. are provided. Differences from other bryophilous Pezizales with globose ascospores or- Henk-Jan VAN DER KOLK namented with isolated warts are discussed and a dichotomous key to these species is given. Gall formation on rhizoids and chloronema of the bryophyte host Campylopus pyriformis is described and illustrated. This represents the first report of gall formation for a species of the genus Lamprospora. Ascomycete.org, 8 (4) : 163-171. Keywords: Bryophilous Pezizales, Campylopus pyriformis, dichotomous key, galls, Pyronemataceae, taxo- Juillet 2016 nomy. Mise en ligne le 08/07/2016 Introduction with an infection inducing galls on the rhizoids of its host Campylo- pus pyriformis (K.F. Schultz) Brid. Since the website Ascofrance.com with its forum has been put Holotype: The holotype of Lamprospora verrucispora is deposited online by its founder and owner Christian Lechat in 2003, more than in the Herbarium Hamburgense of the University of Hamburg (HBG– 1200 users from countries all over the world have decided to be- holotypus, inv. no. 1412). The isotypes of Lamprospora verrucispora come a member of this platform aiming at the international scien- are filed under MV20151025-04 in the private herbaria of Marcel tific exchange of mycologists specialized in ascomycetes. There are Vega and Jan Eckstein. stories galore about contacts, cooperations and friendships arisen from this unique website. Etymology: verrucispora = referring to the warted ascospores of Ours started in January 2014 when the third author of this article the species. asked for help to identify a Lamprospora he could not determine with the existing literature. First mails, then specimens went from one to another of the authors. Based on ascospore ornamentation Macroscopic features (plate 1) and its type of infection on the bryophyte host Campylopus pyrifor- Apothecia mostly scattered, sometimes gregarious on soil bet- mis (K.F. Schultz) Brid., the Lamprospora soon proved to be an un- ween shoots of Campylopus pyriformis, protonema and other bryo- described species. One and a half years later, the new species was phytes; 1–1.8 (2.5) mm in diam., first spherical, becoming found by the first author in further sites in great abundance and sub- saucer–shaped, finally thick and discoid, sessile; with few hyaline sequently is described here as L. verrucispora. septate anchoring hyphae; mostly with a low and narrow fimbriate margin; hymenium yellow-orange to light orange, margin and outer Methods surface paler than the hymenium. Microscopic features (plate 2a-d) The description of Lamprospora verrucispora is based on the re- Asci (160) 200–370 (420) × 16–24 (28) μm, cylindrical, 8-spored, sults of the examination of several vital collections from five locali- operculate, inamyloid; shortly bifurcate at the base, arising from per- ties: one in the Netherlands and four in Germany. Most observations forated croziers. Paraphyses filiform, same length as the asci; contai- took place in tap water. Ascospore ornamentation was additionally ning, at least in the upper half, many vacuoles 1–3 μm diam. with studied after staining with Lactophenol Cotton Blue or Methylene orange pigment turning cyan to olivaceous in Lugol’s solution; Blue, and the iodine reaction of asci was examined with Lugol’s so- straight, pluriseptate, apically inflated, terminal cell 30–75 (100) μm lution. Ascospores’ size was measured from spore prints, which were × 4–8 μm, cells 2–4 μm broad near base, rarely clavate. Ascospores acquired by placing a cover glass on fresh apothecia. Additional (only ascospores from sporeprint considered): (13) 14–17 μm (orna- measurements from rehydrated material were found to be within mentation included), hyaline, globose, always with a large lipid drop, the range of those gained from vital material and are therefore not diameter 9–11 (12) μm, uniseriate. Ascospore surface densely cove- stated separately. Macrographs were made with digital cameras. Mi- red with numerous isolated warts that are mostly (0.2) 0.4–0.9 μm crographs were taken either in tap water, Lactophenol Cotton Blue broad and 0.4–0.8 μm high, occasionally with one bigger wart which or Methylene Blue, using digital cameras mounted on microscopes is 1–2 μm broad and 0.8–1.6 μm high. Warts are mostly hemisphe- and software for stacking pictures. Scanning electron micrographs rical though some can be pear-shaped, elongated or confluent, oc- (SEM) were taken with a LEO-438 machine from air dryed samples. casionally two warts can be connected by a thin and low ridge. Many warts have a punctiform cavity, best visible after staining in Taxonomy Lactophenol Cotton Blue. The bigger warts are predominantly he- mispherical and not elongated or confluent. The surface of the warts Lamprospora verrucispora M. Vega, Eckstein, Van der Kolk, sp. of some ascospores appears to be finely rugose in SEM. Subhyme- nov. — MycoBank 817460. nium merged with the medullary excipulum, of textura angularis with hyaline and thin-walled hyphae, walls becoming thicker at the Diagnosis: Differs from other species of Lamprospora by its per- base, 140 μm thick. Ectal excipulum of textura intricata of elongated fectly globose ascospores with a surface densely covered with nu- cells, up to 120 μm thick. Margo of textura prismatica, elongated hy- merous small isolated warts and few isolated bigger warts together phae, septate, 15–50 × 5–14 μm, some protruding. 163 Infection (plate 2e–f & figure 1) chosen both because of the very rich collection of apothecia of L. verrucispora infects rhizoid and chloronema (the above ground, L. verrucispora growing on a forest track over a 12 metres length, green part of protonema) cells of the moss Campylopus pyriformis. and the absence of L. campylopodis. Only one other species of bryo- The terminal cells of weak rhizoids or chloronema strands are affec- philous Pezizales could be found in the surroundings of the four lo- ted the most. Infected cells swell to a spherical, one-celled gall calities: Lamprospora rugensis Benkert on Pohlia annotina (Hedw.) which is many times the width of neighboring cells. Occasionally, Lindb. in a puddle fallen dry. the infected rhizoid or chloronema strand keeps growing, due to In general, Campylopus pyriformis grows mostly on acidic sandy, which the gall becomes sub-terminal. Shortly after the infection the humous or peaty soils and rotten wood on bare and disturbed surface of the gall is only partly covered with hyphae (fig. 1). Soon, places, such as peat cuttings, roadsides, forest trails and banks however, the gall has a complete sheathing of connate hyphae, (ATHERTON et al., 2010). It is common in Western Europe, and inciden- which is one to two cell layers thick (plate 2e–f). The hyphae-cove- tally reported from other locations in the temperate zone throu- red galls can reach up to 180 μm in diameter where the galls mea- sure up to 150 μm in diameter and the hyphal sheaths are 8-15 μm ghout the whole Northern Hemisphere (OCHYRA et al., 2008). thick. The infection structure consists of appressoria, infection pegs and haustoria. Only one infection structure per gall is developed. Specimens examined Appressoria are 5–8 μm wide and if at all only slightly wider than 1. The Netherlands, Arboretum De Dreijen Wageningen (Gelder- adjacent cells (fig. 1). Because of their weak differentiation, they are land), 51°58’04.3’’ N, 5°40’40.5’’ E, 32 m asl, besides a low boxwood discernable in early stages of gall development only. From the ap- hedge, leg. Henk-Jan van der Kolk, January 23rd, 2014. Bryophyte pressoria an infection peg, 2–3 μm wide, penetrates the rhizoid wall. host: Campylopus pyriformis, accompanying mosses: Ceratodon pur- The infection pegs are surrounded by a tube of host cell wall mate- pureus (Hedw.) Brid., Campylopus introflexus (Hedw.) Brid., Atrichum rial. Haustoria are thin walled, strongly ramified and fill the gall up undulatum (Hedw.) P. Beauv., Hypnum cupressiforme Hedw., Bryum to half of its volume. No septa were seen within the haustoria and barnesii J.B.Wood ex Schimp.; pers. herb. VDK fungi # 0194, duplicate they do not grow through cross walls of rhizoid or chloronema pers. herb. MV20140202-01, duplicate pers. herb. JE. strands. The infection does not weaken the host discernably. Additional collection at this site: February 11th 2014, pers. herb. VDK fungi # 0195. 2. Germany, Forest Göhrde near Boitze (Lower Saxony), 53°07’47’’ N, 10°46’17.4’’ E, 75 m asl, in a rut on a forest track crossing a pine- wood, leg. Marcel Vega, October 3rd 2015. Host: C. pyriformis, accom- panying moss: Hypnum cupressiforme; soc.: Lamprospora campylopodis, pers. herb. MV20151003-01. Additional collections at this site: October 9th 2015, pers. herb. MV20151009-01 , October 25th 2015, pers. herb. MV20151025-01. 3. Germany, Forest Göhrde near Boitze (Lower Saxony), 53°07’37.2’’ N, 10°45’14.9’’ E, 71 m asl, besides a forest track in a pine- wood, leg. Marcel Vega, October 9th 2015. Host: C. pyriformis; soc.: L. campylopodis, pers. herb. MV20151009-02. Additional collection at this site: October 25th 2015, pers. herb. MV20151025-02. 4. Germany, Forest Göhrde near Boitze (Lower Saxony), 53°07’49’’ N, 10°45’10.5’’ E, 63 m asl, in a rut on a forest track in a pine-wood, leg. Marcel Vega October 9th 2015. Host: C. pyriformis; soc.: L. cam- pylopodis, pers. herb. MV20151009-03. Additional collections at this site: October 25th 2015, pers. herb. MV20151025-03, December 5th 2015, pers. herb. MV20151205-03. 5. Germany, Forest Göhrde near Boitze (Lower Saxony), 53°07’36’’ Figure 1 – Young gall in optical section. Scale bar: 40 μm. Drawing: Jan Eckstein N, 10°45’53.5’’ E, 79 m asl, in a rut on a forest track passing through a pine-wood, leg.